This week I tackled Kallus, a warcaster from the domination expansion, as well as the plastic heavy warbeast kit, magnetized to be any of the three builds.
Kallus is a bit of an outlayer from several angles. First off, up until this point every warcaster in the legion has been female, ignoring Thagrosh, who is more of a demigod nowadays. Kallus is also a construct, more of a figment of the dragon's imagination than anything else. But from a hobby standpoint, this model is very different.
It isn't so much that Kallus is different from Privateer Press as he is similar to Games Workshop. If you look at all the other models in the range, you will notice a brutal efficiency to units as a whole. Models just aren't sculpted with superfluous offerings in Hordes. If the sculptor decided to include a specific item in the casting process, you know there was a reason. Case in point: Saeryn, a warrior who fights by throwing knives. Naturally, she is sculpted with plenty of extra blades attached.
Kallus on the other hand is an exercise in the superfluous. His shoulder pads could double as a chest armor, and his belt is strewn with chains and hooks, and for some reason he's got a tabard. Apparently he need something to trip him up mid-fight. Yeah, it looks cool, but so do the other warcasters, all of whom have a very utilitarian angle to their wargear. Even the backstory is highly reminiscent of Games Workshop. After all, anyone who knows Lucius will recognize the story of a heavy armor, sword wielding killer who is never truly defeated...
Turning my attention to the rava-scyth-nivean, I set to work incoporating yet another warbeast into the band.
It was nice to work with another plastic model, and the detail on the armor plates really made this sculpt stand out. It was rewarding to see all the variants come together, knowing the work would pay off many times over due to it's increased flexibility. If I were building a force, I would definitely pursue this option. By keeping the conversions straightforward and easy to swap out, Privateer Press has given a huge gift to the players in the form of reusable models.
Next week we've got a Seraphim lined up, as well as Bayal, a powerful assassin.
